The Los Angeles Lakers are about to begin what could turn out to be a very consequential offseason. They’re projected to have up to roughly $50 million in salary cap space, as well as two future first-round draft picks to offer in a trade, and those resources could allow them to start to truly build a championship-caliber team around Luka Doncic.
Los Angeles will also have the No. 25 pick in next week’s NBA draft. They have been working out prospects in this year’s draft class, including Chris Cenac Jr., a big man from the University of Houston who had a workout scheduled with them on Tuesday.
At 6-foot-11 and 240 pounds and with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Cenac has decent size to play both the power forward and center positions. He recorded a 37-inch vertical leap at the NBA draft combine and is fairly mobile, especially on the defensive end.
This past season, Cenac averaged 9.5 points on 48.5% shooting, 7.9 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks in 24.8 minutes a game during his lone season with the Cougars. He isn’t much of an offensive threat, other than getting easy buckets in transition and on lob passes and putbacks, and he isn’t a 3-point threat (he made 33.3% of his 3-point attempts this past season).
The 19-year-old also isn’t a shot-blocking threat or a true rim-protector, but right now, he seems to have plenty of upside. He could go as high as the middle of the first round of the draft if teams see enough ultimate potential in him.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: 2026 Lakers draft prospects: Chris Cenac Jr.
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
